PORTALES, N.M. (AP) - A Portales police captain has been arrested for allegedly tampering with public records.

Ninth Judicial District Attorney Matthew Chandler announced Thursday that Capt. Lonnie Berry is facing three counts of tampering. Each count is a fourth-degree felony offense and punishable by up to 18 months in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.

Berry was placed on administrative leave with pay by the city Dec. 2. He agreed to resign from the police department Thursday.

The investigation has been ongoing since June. The probe began when a Portales police officer reported to the District Attorney's Office that Berry allegedly was removing and shredding traffic citations issued to a citizen of Portales before the citations were able to be logged and filed with the appropriate court for record and/or disposition of the citation.

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